In medicine, a nebulizer (also spelled nebuliser) is a drug delivery device used to administer a liquid medicament, or mixture of liquid medicaments, for example, bronchodilators or corticosteroids, in aerosolized form, to be inhaled into the lungs. Nebulizers are commonly used for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In such applications, the aerosolized medicament is administered to increase a patient's lung capacity and ease labored breathing.
Many conventional electrical nebulizers utilize vibrating mesh technology wherein a liquid medicament is continuously supplied to one side of a high speed vibrating mesh element residing in a tubular housing. The rapid vibration forces the liquid medicament, through the vibrating mesh element and into the tubular housing, forming small droplets of liquid medicament, thereby generating aerosolized medicament. These nebulizers, once turned on, continuously run, generating aerosolized medicament within the housing, regardless of whether medicament is needed. These devices do not account for the amount of medicament used or track any of the parameters associated with its administration. Further, while the mesh may be sized to generate aerosol particles at a desired diameter of approximately 1 to 4.5 μm (microns), larger particles may be generated, which travel slower than smaller particles generated behind them such that rear collisions may occur, resulting in even larger particles and increasing the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of the aerosolized medicament delivered.
Thus, a more controllable and consistent nebulizer solution is provided by the embodiments set forth below.